Lashing out at the Uttar Pradesh government for its “inaction” in controlling the violence in Muzaffarnagar, Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh on Saturday termed it as “poll preparations” of BJP and Samajwadi Party.

“I believe poll preparations for the coming 2014 elections have started from Muzaffarnagar... it is the trailer of Samajwadi Party and BJP,” Mr. Ramesh told reporters in Lucknow.

“BJP’s intention to contest the Lok Sabha elections on the basis of communal tension became clear when it made Amit Shah in-charge of party in the state,” he said.

“Communal polarisation would be the strategy in Uttar Pradesh and Samajwadi Party too believes that it would gain from it,” Mr. Ramesh said, cautioning against more attempts to fuel communal tension in the State.

Charging the State with showing “susti” (inaction) in Muzaffarnagar, Mr. Ramesh said the government and its Chief Minister did not show seriousness and act responsibly.

“The State government did not fulfil its responsibility seriously.... No state government representative went there,” he said, adding that it was only after the announcement of visit by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav paid a visit.

Expressing regret over the role of BJP leader Hukum Singh whom he termed as a “good friend”, Mr. Ramesh said Muzaffarnagar riots were a blot on the Mr. Akhilesh Yadav administration.

“He cannot run away from his responsibility. People wanted the young Chief Minister to do something for the state, but it is unfortunate that after the Muzaffarnagar violence they cannot take him seriously,” the Union Minister said.

Stating that the coming elections would be a contest between Congress and RSS ideology, he said BJP was just a frontal organisation of RSS and in the past few days its hold on the party had been seen.

Saying that the BJP is just building up hype that it would achieve the majority mark of 272 seats in Lok Sabha polls, Mr. Ramesh asked, “How it would be possible when direct fight with the BJP is just limited to six to seven states and in others it is with regional parties.”